Well, not sure whether it counts as a blaze of glory, but I think that the information about Max's experiments in creating self-aware golems (which Deisaac clearly already understands to a certain extent) along with the awakening of Shirley Temple and Jed are going to be crucial elements of Deisaac's plan. Consider that there are probably about 6 unclaimed capital sites (with consequently inactive portals) in the razed zone around CC, and that (given the backtrack of the tunnel to CC's portal column) at least some of the inactive portal columns we're seeing in this update are among those.

Deisaac exists at all because the GMTTA do know methods of retaining a Thinkamancer's string even when the caster has croaked, even though the result is unstable and impermanent. What if Deisaac has a way to give those strings permanent homes? If those capital sites could be claimed by biddable warlords and spun off as independent sides....

Well, I don't really know.

A ruler doesn't need to be a warlord. A biddable caster from the magic kingdom would work as well.

Well, except for being biddable and being able to get there with a minimal level of asset risk.

Any caster (especially a former MK inhabitant) would have too much baggage with the GMTTA/Charlie/etc. factional strife in the MK, even simply by being able to use the portal to go talk to folks in the MK. And they would also have too much of an incentive to bug out rather than be all-in against CC. And of course to get there from the MK they'd need to go through an existing capital portal, whereas a barbarian warlord with a flying mount could be invited in from around.

The only casters I can see Deisaac really wanting to be rulers would be from the GMTTA, and there aren't a bunch of them left alive, and the utility of having them on the front lines against CC would be marginal if the awakened towers have Jed's known capabilities and a former GM's expertise with how to use them. Isaac leaned towards believing Predictions to be true, but I don't see him or Deisaac putting them on thrones.

I'm sure that the GMTTA made a lot of their income by being able to call on non-Charlie mercenary forces, which means having contacts with a fair number of barbarian warlords. I'd bet they have a short list of reliable contractors, not too valuable to lose but not too flaky to use.

Yeah it occurred to me today that we might not know what portal collars even look light yet. The device on the CC portal looks artificial compared to the mystical look of the column itself. So I'm leaning to believe now that Ivan put that C clamp thing on it.

Also would the city side portal column have a collar also? Just deep under bedrock? The furthest we've seen down there is from Sizemore above bedrock.

I would be content with some kind of scheduled skip every 3rd update or what not, but I know realize that I don't expect that from any other webcomic. I suppose I'm used to seeing sparse updates from Dresden Codak (another favorite with maybe 1ish update a month).

I'd like to thank the whole Erfworld team for a great job, but you've spoiled me with structured updates for the past while. Which is the problem a lot of readers are having now. The year+ streak of on time updates was awesome, and I can definitely understand that causing burn out a lot earlier than when you scaled back. I'm also grateful that this isn't a "3-4 panel" type comic either.

I love where this is going, but I feel kind of hurt by the author's behavior. I simply can't imagine giving up 2k because I couldn't come up with a single page of text. Thousands of web-comic artists come up with more consistent content for far less, and this strip, in particular, has room for just text updates. Rob desperately needs a manager or an editor to keep him on task without obsessing over text boxes.

Yeah it occurred to me today that we might not know what portal collars even look light yet. The device on the CC portal looks artificial compared to the mystical look of the column itself. So I'm leaning to believe now that Ivan put that C clamp thing on it.

We got a close-up of that thing when Ivan was introducing the concept of the collars, so I think we can be pretty sure it is a collar. I mean, it could deliberately be a red distraction fish, but if I go down that rabbit hole I'll never be sure of anything ever.

The difference in style from the column itself is indeed very noticeable, but I have an alternate theory on that; what if the columns are Titanic, but the collars were added by a mortal/group of mortals at some point in the past?

This is a great piece of literature and is probably free (though hopefully ad-supported) to most users. The Toolbox members paying $100 - $4000 per book have different concerns and can say their piece. I am not a paying member, though I have spread the word as much as I comfortably can about this amazing work. I really enjoy stopping here every day to see what's happening and engage with Rob's wonderful story as well as the motley crew of folks that follow Erfworld, but that has been a somewhat frustrating enterprise at times such as these. I could of course come back here every month or so and catch up on an engaging chunk of content, but the incentive to really participate actively in the comic forums is lessened under those conditions. Erfworld is really the only comic I read regularly save for xkcd. Comparing xkcd (a strip that does not actively solicit funds and has MWF updates like clockwork as well as other engaging occasional features like "What if?" and published books of non-comic content) or even Perry Bible Fellowship or Wonderella (two strips that I check every month or so with low hopes of ever seeing anything new) to Erfworld is not really fair - it is what it is. But it is frustrating to be unable to figure out what that "is" is. Do we passively wait for comics whenever they come and be glad for what we have? We certainly could, but I don't know if that's what the fans or even Rob really want. I have often felt that the unspoken deal is that this is a journey Rob is inviting us to share in and (for me at least) that the comic derives at least some of its worth from that. I know geeks and comics fans can be unrelenting and creating healthy boundaries is probably a nightmare beyond my imagining. I also know that being married and "getting a life" can really readjust your priorities. But I am concerned that the semi-communicative "auteur" approach that Rob has taken of late, while certainly valid (I mean, who wouldn't rather turn out novels on their own schedule and for their own pleasure?) may end up turning Erfworld into a different place.

Rob is trying to tell a tale of interesting, intelligent, and hopefully clever characters. All too often, especially for TV shows with tight schedules, the heroes are only smart because the opposition isn't very intelligent. I'd like to see Parson, Charlie, Isaac, and even Wanda and Roger, among others, continue to be clever and outsmart enemies who are themselves at least ordinarily competent.

Sherlock Holmes is a good example. Watson and Lestrade are generally very competent when true to the source. It is just that Sherlock is so brilliant, he outshines and surprises even them -- and us, the readers, and viewers for good movie and TV versions.

I want to be frequently surprised and amazed by the turns of the story in Erfworld. I don't begrudge Rob for being a perfectionist at this point in the story. Everything is building to a huge climax, and the plot and writing need to remain on point for the ultimate showdowns which are coming soon.

Still, it would be nice to have a bit of advance notice about the schedule.